Samson George, the 6-foot-7 forward from Nigeria who was previously enrolled at Iona, signed a financial aid agreement with the University of Pittsburgh, Monday. The Panthers have now signed eight players to the 2017 recruiting class.
George enrolled at Iona in January but he departed the school after eligibility issues arose. Prior to that, he averaged 15.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game at First Love Christian Academy.
“Samson is an extremely athletic frontcourt player with a high motor,” said head coach Kevin Stallings. “He is an aggressive rebounder on both ends of the floor and we are excited about his future in the program. He plays with a toughness and grit that are contagious.”
The 220-pound forward played AAU with the New York Rens and had high school stops at St. Anthony’s [N.J.] and St. Patrick’s [N.J.]. He received scholarship offers from USC, VCU, Rutgers and several other mid-majors during the recruiting process.
George joins a deep recruiting class featuring Rivals Top 100 point guard Marcus Carr, JUCO standout Jared Wilson-Frame and versatile big-man Terrell Brown along with four emerging talents in spring signees – Khameron Davis, Peace Ilegomah, Shamiel Stevenson and Parker Stewart. Pitt has also added St. John’s transfer Malik Ellison, who will have two seasons of eligibility remaining after sitting out the 2017-18 season.
Pitt also landed a commitment from 2018 power forward Bryce Golden.
